Primal Leadership

Key Idea

The revolutionary idea undergirding the theory of primal leadership is that the primal
(or primary) job of a leader is emotional – emotions make a difference and drives
performance. Emotions inspire and motivate us and positive emotions are especially
contagious. The primal leader is emotionally intelligent, able to regulate their own
emotions and to build emotionally-strong relationships with others.

Quote of Note

"Leaders cannot lead with resonance if their team’s norms hold them captive. And they
cannot change the team’s norms unless they are willing to take on the leader’s primal
task – working with people’s emotions and with the team’s emotional reality. That
truth is even more apparent at the organizational level, when norms extend to corporate
cultures. After all, even the most courageous individual finds it hard to buck an
entire system." — p. 190